Letters from readers March 7, 2019

After the first world war, each country involved withdrew its forces and proceeded to lick its wounds and recover. Most cured its own injuries and built its own economy.

For a couple of generations, they forgot about the horrors of war. Slowly, internal conflicts began to generate. Germany and Japan sought expansion and attacked their surmised enemy.

However, actual physical engagement did not reach our shores. We went to war and we defeated the so-called “Axes.”

Since the actual battles did not reach our continent, we fought the war on others. No physical damage was done to America.

Several generations after the conclusion of World War II, we helped our allies repair their countries. We are in a position to withdraw our help and let them continue on their own.

Have we? No!

We still have 800 bases on foreign soil. Instead of renting space from them, we are charging them for “protection.”

Protection from what?

The United Nations was set up as the World Police Force. When did we assume that responsibility? I suggest that we form a unit much like the old Foreign Legion. Each country provide money, equipment and personnel and let that organization be the “police force.”

As long as one country runs the world, none of us will ever be sovereign.

Ed Galindo

Quartz Hill

‘What goes around comes around’

Roger Stone, one of Trump’s longtime major supporters, said that he was not going to say anything against Trump and was going to take the Fifth Amendment regarding any Congressional testimony.

This is what Trump said during the campaign, about those who took the Fifth Amendment: “If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment? It’s a disgrace.”

But now Trump is saying that Stone has “guts” and you can bet your bottom dollar, that the Republicans are going to fall into lockstep behind him about this. How soon they forget what Trump says and change their position with him, even if it occurs in mid-sentence.

I think it may be completely appropriate if Trump took the Fifth Amendment, too, in the future, because it looks like they’re going to stop the clock on the statute of limitations so that they may be able to indict Trump after he becomes a private citizen.

So that chant about locking people up may become Trump’s self-fulfilling prophecy and the ultimate proof of that old saying, “What goes around, comes around.”

Marty Scepan

Palmdale

Busy man

According to Donald Trump, he has kept more promises, cut more regulations and built a better economy than any other president and been more popular than any Republican president.

Trump must work harder than his predecessors because there are more demands on him.

He has to spend more time appointing staff, for example, because his appointees keep quitting.

George Washington had a lot on his plate, but he didn’t have to attend so many MAGA events or craft so many Twitter insults.

Lincoln fought the Civil War, but he didn’t have so many Fox News interviews or a round of golf every five days, on average. Per Washington Post.

Miguel S. Coronado

Lancaster

What a world

Astonishingly, I agree with Donald Trump. There is, indeed, a national emergency.

However, that emergency is not an immigration crisis necessitating building a wall on our southern border. The emergency is having a malignant narcissist in the White House so determined to fulfill a bogus campaign promise, that he is willing to usurp funds already appropriated for disaster relief in California and elsewhere in order to save face, garner political points with his rabid base and be able to boast that he is “strong” and “powerful.”

Indeed the ultimate deal-maker. Ironically, his oft-repeated promise to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it is still unkept by virtue of the fact that he is, instead, redirecting U.S. taxpayer funds, intended for legitimate purposes, in order to avoid further humiliation.

His efforts to spin this madcap move as noble, necessary and justified are laughable. Republicans who warned the president not to declare a national emergency are either capitulating or staying suspiciously mum, as if waiting to see how the American public reacts before they take a stand. I suppose they forgot the oath they took to uphold the laws and the Constitution. Spineless, either way.

So, as we become subjects of an increasingly monarchical president who denies climate change as a real threat, we can watch him bypass Congress, recklessly redirect much needed money from bonafide disaster relief and ponder yet again why 30% of our country supports this egomaniacal person. What a world, what a world.

Jarold Wright

San Rafael

No need for guns

You don’t need a smoke detector in your house because that’s what the Fire Department is for. If you think that sounds stupid, now you know how I feel when you say, “I don’t need a gun.”

By the way, if gun control worked, Chicago would be like Andy’s town of Mayberry.

George Sannes

Lancaster

Hear, hear!

Mr. Davenport got it right. Mr. Harris is a “poster attorney” for the term “sheister,” applied to disreputable attorneys.

Taxpayers such as myself don’t want to pay for $400 snoozes and $400 an hour travel expenses.

Watch this discussion.Stop watching this discussion.

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.